NHS Hall of Fame Profile: John Cowden set the pace for Norwell track

Thursday

Sep 4, 2014 at 11:00 AMSep 4, 2014 at 11:00 AM

By Ryan Woodrwood@wickedlocal.com

This is the fifth in a series of profiles of the 2014 Norwell High School Hall of Fame Class, the third class to be inducted into the NHS Hall of Fame. The 14 inductees will be recognized at a ceremony at the River Club in Scituate on Oct. 25.During his decorated four-year running career at Norwell High School, John Cowden left his opponents in the dust. One meet in particular summed up Cowdenís strength on the track. He won three running events (440-yard dash, one-mile run, one-mile relay), the javelin, and took second place in the high jump his senior year (1979) against Hanover. That same year, Cowden made history, setting a record that still stands today."Records are made to be broken, so for it to still be there, thatís very amazing," Cowden said. "For it to last 35 years is exceptional, but it was an exceptional team."Cowden and the one-mile relay team set the school record by running the relay in 3 minutes, 28 seconds. It broke the school record that the relay team set one year prior Ė Cowdenís junior year Ė and earned the team its second straight state championship in the event. Cowden also set school records in the 660 and two-mile relay. He won an indoor state championship in the 660 as a senior, a year in which he earned league all-star honors.Cowden competed in several events, which included the 440, 660, one-mile, two-mile, javelin, high jump, and the one- and two-mile relay teams. He then took his talents to Boston College, where he walked onto the track team as a freshman before earning a scholarship a year later and competing in a number of major meets.Cowdenís track career began before he even stepped foot into Norwell High School. He had won presidential fitness awards in running during middle school, which prompted a teacher at the school to give a heads up to Norwell High School track coach Peter Scott that he had a talented runner heading his way. But Cowdenís favorite sports at the time were football and baseball."I fully intended on playing football and baseball freshman year," Cowden said. "Peter Scott talked me into running cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. I really owe it all to Peter Scott. Early on, he took a special interest in me."Cowden joined the cross country team as a freshman and that same school year began his career as an indoor and outdoor distance runner. He did get to finally play football; that came senior year. He first asked Scott for permission."I really missed football, but it was not an easy decision (to leave cross country). It was a close-knit group," Cowden recalled. "It was not an easy ask, but he (Scott) allowed me to do it because I loved football."Cowden rejoined Scott in the winter and again in the spring for his final two seasons of track at Norwell High, leaving a mark that has lasted 35 years. Cowden reflected on his time at Norwell High, both on the track and in the classroom."What I remember most is the friends I made, the camaraderie," he said. "That group of track athletes, we were together for two-thirds of the year. We practiced and competed as a team for the better part of the year. It makes for better friendships. I think back on those years all the time. I stay in touch with friends from my class and other classes. It was a great four years, and the education was fantastic."It was his grades that landed Cowden at Boston College. He wasnít recruited to run track, but that didnít stop his desire for competing in the sport he loved. One day at BC, Cowden went down to Alumni Stadium to watch the track team practice."I was sitting in the bleachers and said, ĎI can take these guys.í So I introduced myself to the coach and told him about my experience in high school," Cowden said. "He invited me to try out with the team."And thus began a storied college track career for Cowden. He became one of the top middle distance runners for BC, the Big East Conference, and the nation. He competed at the Big East Championships at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, earning a silver and bronze medal. The event aired on ESPN. He ran at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden, appearing on ABCís Wide World of Sports. He placed in the top 10 in most of the events he ran and earned all-New England status. He helped BCís two-mile relay team win a New England championship, outpacing Ionaís anchor leg to take the title. That earned his team a spot at an Olympic invitational tournament at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, where it placed fifth overall. As a junior, Cowden was invited to Athletics West, the top competitive running team in the nation, formed by Nike co-founders Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight and one of Nikeís first employees, Geoff Hollister."If I wasnít convinced at an early age to be a track athlete, BC wouldnít have happened, so Iím grateful to Peter Scott," Cowden said. "He made sure I was working very hard and was committed."Cowden, who moved from Pittsburgh to Norwell when he was in the fifth grade, now lives in Duxbury. His parents still live in Norwell. He said he is grateful to be part of a small group of individuals that make up the Norwell High School Athletic Hall of Fame."Iím honored and very appreciative of the committee," Cowden said. "I applaud all the work they are doing. To be in just the third (Hall of Fame) class, I feel really honored."